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Category Archives: Car Of The Week

MINI will travel to the Paris Auto Show to introduce the JCW version of the second-generation Clubman.

The John Cooper Works Clubman is powered by the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that’s both turbocharged and direct-injected and makes 228 horsepower from 5, 200 to 6,000 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque from 1,450 all the way up to 4, 500 rpm. The turbo four spins all four wheels via MINI’s All4 all-wheel drive system and either a six-speed manual transmission or an eight-speed automatic.

The 3,400-pound JCW Clubman hits 60 mph from a standing start in six seconds dead regardless of which transmission it’s equipped with, and it goes on to a top speed of 147 mph. The extra power is complemented by a JCW-specific suspension that’s lower and stiffer than standard on the rest of the Clubman range, a sport exhaust, and Brembo brakes all around. An adaptive suspension is available at an extra cost should you require that little bit more from the suspension.

The JCW stands out from a regular Clubman thanks to a full body kit that includes a new front bumper with bigger air dams and side skirts, as well as 18-inch alloy wheels and dual chromed exhaust tips. Nonetheless it is a tasteful rather than an in your face body kit, suiting the overall new Clubman ethos very well. MINI has also upgraded the cabin with sport seats for the front passengers and matching fabrics on the rears.

The 2017 MINI John Cooper Works Clubman will go on sale nationwide in December. Pricing information will be announced in the weeks leading up to its on-sale date.

This would work perfectly in the Beastmaster stable, the problem being we don’t want to let go of anything we have to make room for it. We simply love it though.

Last Saturday The Elf collected her new VW Golf GTI, arguably the last word in performance and practicality fusion for the ordinary working man.

To get it The Elf had to say goodbye to CooperBeast a beloved red MINI Cooper that has been in the family since it was new some 13 years ago.

We are pleased to say it has found some worthy new keepers as a friend of Beastie, a chap from work Steve, bought it for his wife Dawn. We are also told that it will stay in the 500 club with some appropriate plates being put on it in the future.

It was sad to see it go, but it was time for some new owners to enjoy it and inject some TLC into it. Saturday then was a win day for The Elf, with her new Golf and it was a win for Dawn as she took ownership of a beloved iconic MINI from within the MINI community.

A few months ago The Elf ordered her VW Golf GTI and today her brand new car finally arrived. It’s sparkly, it’s new, it’s shiny and black. It has red bits on it too. It’s two cars in one, it’s quiet and refined, my Mum would feel cosseted and comfortable in it. She could get in it easily. She could get out of it easily. Push the go pedal though and it responds easily and hurtles you rapidly to illegal speeds. Visibility is great. Everything just works. It makes our MINI JCW Coupe look childish by comparison.

The MINI only has two seats so Mum can’t go in it. If she does she struggles with the low position and the long door. It’s hard to see out of the back. The MINI is just not as practical as the Golf. The MINI is just not as refined as the Golf. The MINI exhaust pops and bangs rudely. When you start the car you know the engine is on. You don’t in The Golf. And all this is the beauty of cars. One person’s love affair is the nemesis in another person’s life.

The Elf is in her early thirties, she holds down a good job with good pay. She is a professional. The Golf compliments her lifestyle. This car helps her play the part she lives in life. With the Golf, you arrive at work refreshed and relaxed ready to put in your full shift. You arrive home chilled once more after a tough day of total professionalism in the office. You are relaxed and in the frame of mind to ponder on how much a pair of black Louboutins with red soles would match the pearl black Golf with its red accents?

For me and Peanut though it is a MINI every time. The MINI is an adventure every time you drive it. There is a story to tell after every time you switch it off. The engine pops and barks and cusses. It talks back to you, ” I don’t care if you can’t see out of the back, I don’t care if you can’t see out of the side, just drive me and then drive me some more. Peanut thinks the black Louboutins with the red soles wouldn’t be such a good match to the MINI Coupe. The car anwers her back, “They’d look rubbish. Buy navy ones with red soles and match your sapphires”.

The BMW 507 owned by Elvis has been restored to a better condition than its original factory build. It’s just a beautiful car. Will the beautiful cars of today stand the test of time in the way that the lovely cars of the 1950s and 1960s have. Perhaps they will. Perhaps an F-type Jaguar will be as desirable in 40 years time as it is today.